GEM Plumbing and Heating

Marc T.

TL;DR - Some GEM technicians may not be that honest. Watch what they are ""fixing"".


This will be a ""possible warning"" review. On 1/19/2016 my gas burner would not light. Code showed that the ignition sensor was failing. This is a small ""rod"" in the path of the flame that tells the furnace whether or not the flame actually lit after the gas starts to flow. If it does not detect the flame/heat, it shuts down the gas. I am familiar with it because it first happened at least 8 years ago. Yesterday, ""Homeserve"", whom I have a contract with through National Grid, came out and checked the issue.

They removed the sensor and noted it had built up ""sediment"" on it. A common occurrence I know, since I read up on possible causes of the failure. It had happened two more times after the first incident many years ago. A possible ""fix"" is to try and clean the sensor with sand paper or some abrasive cloth. I always cleaned just by reaching in and cleaning what I could. It resolved it each time. Yesterday I was at work and my wife was home. So she contacted Homeserve (I'll note we only recently started a contract with them in September as our system is getting up there in years). As I said, he removed it, checked it and cleaned it off and placed it back in. They triggered the heat three times and all was well.

I told my wife to inform him when he arrived of the code and that this has happened before. Once when Gem serviced it and twice more over the years. Just wanted to make sure it was checked properly. The sensor is nothing more than the rod leading to an electrical plug/cable which I then assume goes to the ""computer"" within that reads such information. He showed her how to actually remove the sensor easily with a turn of a screw - so if needed I could try and clean more thoroughly. He did note that during the yearly inspection they would clean it and it probably would be fine for each year.

I also told her to tell him it was ""replaced"" many years ago and I wanted it ""checked' - as the technician that came out said it was a common issue, but unfortunately, he didn't have the exact replacement part on his truck. As it was yesterday, when GEM came years ago, it was one of, if not THE coldest days yet (night time actually when GEM arrived). We ""needed"" the heat on. After GEM removed the ""faulty"" sensor, the GEM technician said he could easily ""put one together with some parts he had in his truck though"". I said ""awesome, thank you"". He was going to get things going and get the heat back on. Our child was young back then and we of course ""needed"" the heat. After a few minutes in his truck he came back, reattached the sensor and the heat was back on.

My wife relayed the above story to the Homeserve technician, leaving out who performed it. He asked ""Do you mind if I ask who serviced it?"" She told him ""GEM"". He replied "" Ohhhhhh...Well I don't want to say anything bad about them. But this sensor I took out is a standard sensor. Normal stock part."".

Well damn. Here's the ""possible warning"" review.That ""normal stock sensor"" cost me almost $300.00 years ago , in labor and ""parts"". Back then I didn't know what possibly causes the sensor to shut the furnace down. Built up deposits on the rod is generally the cause - as I found on my own the next time it happened. Never occurred to me (shame on me) that the GEM technician might have taken advantage of a cold night without heat, to simply go out to his truck, sand the sediment off and bring the same sensor back in - yet claim even though he didn't have a proper replacement, he could save us by making one. Again, shame on me for not watching more closely.

Am I 100% certain that the GEM technician duped us - No. Could the Homeserve guy just be trying to ""steer"" further business away - possibly (but we already have the homeserve contract).

All I can say is more things point to us being duped than not.

Take the information as you will.


Edit: ....And yes, first review and ""possible"" incident happened MANY years ago. However, first review because I was just clued into the possibility of being duped. Also, after reading the other reviews, it does not seem too far off the mark that some technicians are not trustworthy. True in any support business? - of course. But I called GEM years back, so the review and suspicion gets stuck with them.

Agnes K.

Used this company through a purchase from Lowes for a kitchen sink install. They came in and broke my shut of valve under the sink. Never replaced it and told me that I know where the main shut off is in the basement so if I have a leak to just use that. Really? And he asked me if I was going to calk the sink. Ummm isn't that part of a sink INSTALLATION! I said 'can you do that?"" He responded ""I'll have to check my truck and see if I have any calking"" (that would be the big box truck out front that says GEM PLUMING all over it. And he asked me what I paid Lowe's for installation and proceded to say ""we shouldn't even be here for that price"". He calls the main office and tells them I need additional pipe work, which I don't. I need my shut off valve replaced damnit! If you buy from Lowe's I would suggest hiring a plumber on your own.

Mike N.

We bought a new gas range from Lowes last week and they set us up with GEM to do the conversion from gas to propane (our current range is connected to a propane tank). This consists of swapping out 7 orifices and reversing the regulator. This doesn't look like a difficult procedure, but we want to use a professional to be safe. Well, after a 2-day delay for them to get the right paperwork to Lowes, they quote $450 to do this job - that's almost what we paid for the range itself!

Ray A.

STEER CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY. Their service techs are incompetent and they charge a non-refundable up-front diagnostic fee that ""they'll apply to the repair if you hire them to repair"". They call factory tech support instead of diagnosing simple problems themselves, and will not listen to a customer's observations. My 10 year old could have correctly diagnosed the problem using the charts in the service manual that the service tech refused to even look at. If their expensive parts replacement doesn't work, you are still stuck with the cost of the replaced part regardless of whether it fixed the problem or not. Zero stars would be generous. The high prices they charge apparently go to their slick ads rather than toward training their technicians.

I had gone through the diagnostic and determined the igniter was burnt out but could not get a new igniter locally, so I called GEM and asked if they were Buderus certified, if they would have the igniter on their truck, and if they could also perform the Buderus mandated annual maintenance in the same visit. They show up, guy remarks he's never seen one of these boilers before, then all he does is read the error code off the unit and calls the factory tech support for a diagnosis. I pointed out the diagnostic chart in the service manual, that the chart indicated the igniter had failed, and that my subsequent measurement verified the igniter was out. He told me they don't use the charts, that company policy is to work with the factory tech support only. He made no measurements, or observations of the boiler other than reading the code off the display. He refused to look at the service manual. Tech support must have (rightfully) assumed he had already exhausted diagnostic in the service manual and told him that the computer was bad. I challenged that diagnosis and asked him to replace the igniter, but it turns out he didn't have one with him (I had given the dispatcher all the info needed and was told he'd have the igniter with him). He charged me a non-refundable $99 diagnostic fee up-front, gave me a diagnosis that I knew was wrong (and told him so), and promised to give me a repair quote in the morning because he couldn't get the price at that time). I called their customer service department at the end of the next day about the quote and they told me it would be $1150 for the controller and they could rush order one if I committed to it. I'd have to pay for the controller whether it actually fixed the problem or not.
In the mean time, I had ordered $86 igniter off the internet. When it finally did arrive, I replaced the bad one with it in under 15 minutes and the boiler fired right up. Had I blindly followed his diagnosis, I'd be out the $1150 for the replacement controller, and who knows what other charges for the additional visit and more tech support calls, and I'd still be without heat and hot water. Additionally, the tech insisted these boilers do not need cleaning or annual maintenance (The manual has a caution statement right in the front of the book stating that these boilers must have annual maintenance in order for the aluminum heat exchanger to last its expected lifetime). Not sure how he can say that since he'd never seen one of these boilers before.

Ryan D.

I had the company come out to fix a leak in my tenants kitchen. Gem was on time and got the work done on a Saturday, which is tough to find in RI. They were higher priced, but not by much and their work comes with a one year warranty.

Iinda B.

My husband and I needed a company that was reliable. We called Gem plumbing. They came and gave a quote of $360. That didn't include the service fee of $59 which we had a coupon for. My husband agreed to their fee because he knew I was desperate to have a faucet installed. We had to call them back the next day because the faucet was leaking . Gem plumbing said it was the fault of the faucet it had something to do with the sodering on the inside. They reinstalled the old faucet and didn't charge us. We now bought a new faucet and called a local plumbing company. their fee is $150.00 which includes the service fee. Although Gem plumbing was very efficient they are extremely overpriced. Please check their pricing before they do any work. My husband and I strongly feel we were taken advantage of and were over charged

Lynne W.

They fixed our AC! Same day service :)

At 7:30 am I requested a same day appt by email/website. At 10:30 am, the HVAC service team to confirm and arrived at noon.

They were knowledgeable (got may air handler working again, replaced capacitor) and fast. Best thing is they also know NEST products (thermostat). We have 2 NESTs, and some companies are old school and intimidated by these new, beautiful, Wi-Fi controlled devices that connect with your mobile phone. Nice to meet a company that gets it!

Ant N.

If you actually need to have your plumbing fixed, I'd look elsewhere. A completely disorganized operation with absolutely no communication skills with their customers.
Was without toilet and shower for nearly 24 hours as they passed the blame to a vendor they use- a vendor not accredited by the better business bureau. After hours of waiting and numerous phone calls that provided no assistance, my landlord called roto rooter and they said they'd have someone there within an hour.
Long story short, do yourself a favor and call someone else, anyone else but gem plumbing.

Seth T.

Gem provides quality, all-around great service!!!!
While myself and others had negative experiences in the past with Gem, I recently had substantial work done on my home. I got quotes for 3 different jobs, the estimates were thorough and competitive. The workers arrived on time and completed the jobs earlier than even estimated.
One of the owners, Larry Gemma takes great pride in his business and personally made sure I was fully satisfied with everything they did. I am very impressed with this style of business management and it is no wonder to me why gem has been able to expand and do so well in this area. While they aren't going to give you the cheapest price to do the job, paying a little more was well worth it to be sure I was getting the most efficient parts and equipment. Also, they got the jobs done extremely quickly and done right the first time.
I hired Gem to install an entirely new central AC system, some new plumbing, electrical work in my living room, including recessed lighting, outlets, and mounting a 55"" TV above the fireplace with all wiring concealed in the wall. All of my concerns were quickly addressed and I never felt like I was being taken advance of as a customer.
I recommend Gem for your home/business repairs and improvements.

Sarah S.

Here's my summary - don't bother with this company, find a local plumber. This company is a pain to deal with and they are more expensive too!


Same as some other reviewers, I got hooked up with Gem through Home Depot to get my water heater replaced.

First of all, it is not same day service - I called on a Monday and they said the earliest they could come was on Thursday. Thursday morning rolled around and they called and said they couldn't come until Friday.

OK - so it's Friday - an electrician (sent by Gem) comes around 10am to check out the electrical components, he says everything is good to go for the plumber and they would call me about 1/2 hour before they came.

Cut to 3:30pm - still no word from Gem. I called them and they said they wouldn't be able to make it until Tuesday AND that I needed some sort of re-piping to be done.

Re-piping? Huh? That came out of left field. The customer service person was like ""didn't the plumber explain it to you?"" It was pretty hard for the plumber to explain that when they didn't come to my house or call me! I suppose the electrician could have made the assessment, but he didn't say anything about it. Oh and thanks for calling and telling me, Gem, glad I took the day off of work and sat around waiting!

It sounded pretty shady to me, so I called a local plumber and cancelled my service with Gem.

Update - I got my heater replaced by a local company for $300 less than Gem quoted. Local company also made no mention of a need for ""re-piping"".